Pink Power by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Author Lorna Schultz Nicholson takes a look at the very first women's world hockey championships back in 1990 in her juvenile non-fiction title Pink Power: The First Women's Hockey World Champions. It is published by Lorimer.

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Why pink? Because Canada made the controversial decision to dress its National Women's Team in pink and white as opposed to the customary red and white. The idea was to draw attention to the women's game, but it almost backfired as the pink offended many. But by doing so women's hockey was the talk of the hockey world, drawing media and public attention to the series. Immediately following Canada's gold medal and fantastic showing at the first championships registration in girls' hockey went up 40%.

In the book Nicholson introduces some of the key players and looks at the obstacles they had to overcome to play hockey. She also looks at the hurdles women's hockey in general had to face. She follows the team from the selection process through to the gold medal win. She also offers a very interesting "Where are they now" chapter to conclude the book.

Pink Power is part of the RecordBooks series published by James Lorimer & Company, Ltd. The series also includes Star Power: The Legend and Lore of Cyclone Taylor, Small Town Glory: The story of the Kenora Thistles' remarkable quest for the Stanley Cup and Long Shot: How the Winnipeg Falcons won the first Olympic hockey gold.

But Pink Power is the best of the series, largely because of the author's skills in writing to a juvenile audience.

Lorna Schultz Nicholson, a former sports journalist turned writer, is a very accomplished writer in the genre, both fiction and non-fiction.

She co-authored Cassie Campbell's fantastic 2007 release H.E.A.R.T. and in 2008 she will be offering Fighting for Gold: The Story of Canada's Sledge Hockey Paralympic Gold. She also has books on Dany Heatley and the 2002 Women's Olympic hockey team coming out soon.

Nicholson, who is married to Hockey Canada president Bob Nichoslon also penned a series of very popular hockey novels for Lorimer's Sports Stories books. You may recognize titles like Cross-Check!, Too Many Men, Northern Star, Delaying the Game, Against the Boards, Roughing, Interference, and Holding. Against the Boards, Interference and Roughing were Canadian Children's Centre Our Choice selections with Roughing also shortlisted for the Golden Eagle Children's Choice Book Award.

As none other than Wayne Gretzky suggests, Nicholson's books "really teach the importance of having good values both in hockey and life."

You can't go wrong by including a few of Lorna Schultz Nicholson's books in your kid's Christmas stockings.